Science Project: Making Quicksand

Have you ever seen a movie where the hero is dashing through the jungle when they step in a bog of quicksand which sucks them down to their untimely death, or what seems their untimely death until they're saved at the last minute? Well, quicksand doesn't actually work like that. Sorry to bust your movie going experience, but quicksand is rarely deeper than a few feet and if you hold yourself still you will float to its surface and be free. Try this experiment to see exactly how quicksand works!

Cornstarch and Water Make QuicksandCourtesy of helpforsmartmoms.com

Quicksand!Courtesy of rheothing.com

Your Quicksand Will Feel Spongey and then WetCourtesy of videojug.com

Quicksand is called a non-Newtonian fluid, which means that is can be both a solid or a liquid. It depends on the amount of pressure applied to the substance. The molecules that make up quicksand are normally loosely arranged, which makes it behave like a liquid. But when pressure is applied the molecules become ordered and the substance behaves like a solid.

Quicksand is made up of sand (a granular material), clay and water. The sand is so saturated with water that the friction between sand particles if reduced. Which means that it can no longer support weight, like, for example, a person walking over it, which is why you get "sucked" into it. But if you don't move, meaning don't apply pressure to the substance, the quicksand will behave like a liquid and you will float up to the top. The best way to understand quicksand is to make some yourself!